Texas governor backs off on gay remarks, warns Republicans to avoid side issues that distract

Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants the Republican Party to be the party of big ideas for the United States.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants the Republican Party to be the party of big ideas for the United States.

Photo: The Christian Science Monitor

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Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants the Republican Party to be the party of big ideas for the United States.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants the Republican Party to be the party of big ideas for the United States.

Photo: The Christian Science Monitor

Image 3 of 3

Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants the Republican Party to be the party of big ideas for the United States.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants the Republican Party to be the party of big ideas for the United States.

Photo: The Christian Science Monitor

Perry backs off on remarks about gays, questions Cruz's legacy

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WASHINGTON - Texas Gov. Rick Perry, sounding increasingly like a 2016 presidential prospect, said Thursday that he's given up on cowboy boots and regrets stepping into a divisive debate about homosexuality, warning Republicans not to be "deflected" by polarizing social issues.

The comments came a week after Perry came under criticism around the nation for remarks he made in San Francisco suggesting that homosexuals could be treated through therapy, much like alcoholics.

"I readily admit," Perry said, "I stepped right in it."

Perry's mea culpa at a luncheon for Washington journalists came as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, another Texan eyeing a White House run, addressed an enthusiastic crowd of religious conservatives at a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference organized by Christian activist Ralph Reed.

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At the luncheon, which was sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, Perry also was called upon to dissect his own turn in the national spotlight, notably his lackluster performance in the 2012 presidential debates, including the "oops" moment when he could not remember the name of the third federal agency he would have eliminated as president.

"I'm glad I ran in 2012, as frustrating, as painful and as humbling as that experience was," Perry said. "Being prepared both physically and mentally is very important. Having run for the governorship of Texas three times, and been three times elected additionally … as a statewide elected official does not prepare you to run for the presidency of the United States."

He vowed that if he runs again in 2016, "I will be better prepared."

Part of that preparation, he said, involves working on the back pain and medications that plagued him two years ago. Besides surgery and a different exercise regimen, Perry said that for the sake of better body core balance, "I stopped wearing cowboy boots."

Cruz's religious themes

At the Faith and Freedom Coalition event, Cruz did not shy away from religious themes as he criticized the Obama administration for "intrusions on religious liberty represented in Obamacare." As he often does, he cited The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic nuns order that, through the Affordable Care Act, would have had to provide birth control coverage to employees.

Cruz also was not timid in insisting "faith and freedom" were the "principles that have built this country and made this country strong."

"I am convinced we are going to pull the United States of America back from this precipice, back from this abyss," Cruz said. "Together we work to save the greatest nation in history."

For many in the crowd, which gave Cruz a standing ovation, the air was thick with presidential politics, with an array of GOP hopefuls on the list of speakers. Ava Parker, of Atlanta, said she had her eyes on Cruz.

"It's going to be difficult," she said, "but I think he'd make a wonderful president."

Perry, who had previously spoken to the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said he had to return to Texas to deal with the crisis of child immigrants on the border, where he has called for a "surge operation" by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Cruz and Perry have always run as social conservatives. At the same time, Cruz has carved out a niche as a vocal critic of President Barack Obama on foreign policy and alleged abuse of power. Perry, meanwhile, has worked hard to brand himself in national politics as a business-friendly governor who produced jobs and prosperity for his state.

Perry's business focus

"Helping create a climate where people know that they can risk their capital and have a return on their investment and be able to create jobs, which in turn creates wealth, that's been my major focus as the governor," Perry said.

Asked whether his legacy has been eclipsed by Cruz, a tea party favorite who easily won the Texas Republican presidential straw poll this month, Perry questioned the junior senator's "staying power" in moving state and national politics to the right.

"We all get our 15 seconds of fame, all right?" Perry said. "Whether it was Ann Richards, or whether it was George W. Bush, or whether it was Rick Perry, or whether it's Ted Cruz. Long term I think it requires somebody's substantial staying power to make a long term difference in Texas."

As for Cruz's ultimate influence, he said, "Ask me in eight years if Sen. Cruz has made an impact on the state."

Perry's economic focus, which would position him closer to the business side of the GOP spectrum, has extended to outspoken criticism of the Obama administration's energy and environmental policies, particularly the reluctance to sign off on the disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.

On Thursday, Perry renewed his criticism of federal plans to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants "based on what I would consider to be science that is not settled yet."

Questioning the economic impact of those policies, Perry said, does not make him a climate change "denier," a moniker he said offends him.

Distracting debate

But it was what Perry termed "side issues" that have hurt him the most in recent days, particularly after he was called upon to defend the Texas Republican Party's endorsement of "reparative" therapy to change the sexual orientation of gays.

To Perry, the debate was a distraction.

"I got asked about an issue, and instead of saying, 'You know what, we need to be a really respectful and tolerant country to everybody, and get back to talking about, whether you're gay or straight, you need to be having a job.' " he said.

Social issues for states

If the incident in San Francisco had any upside for Perry it was that it gave him a chance to revive a favorite tea party message about the 10th Amendment, suggesting that social issues like same-sex marriage should be decided at the state level, not by the federal government.

But the larger lesson for Republicans, Perry said, is in not being "deflected over on to this social issue or that social issue."

The Republican Party, he said, must become the party of "big" ideas.

"They've got to stop being distracted from all the side issues that may be relevant to some particular section of the electorate or the country, but stay focused on what is the most important thing for America."

Whether he's the Republican who will carry that message in 2016, he plans to stay in the public arena.